


A Kiss in Time Saves Nine Cat Lives

by sagansjagger



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrinette | Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Akuma Attack, Cute, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Kissing, Ladrien Appreciation Day, Ladrien June, Ladrien Summer, Ladrien | Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng as Ladybug, Zombiezou
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-11
Updated: 2020-06-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:41:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24665530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sagansjagger/pseuds/sagansjagger
Summary: When Ladybug takes Adrien to a rooftop to keep him safe from Zombizou's minions, she gives into her impulse to kiss him after he says something sweet.Naturally, Chat is a mess afterwards.The kiss totally, completely,accidentallychanges their relationship.Ladrien June.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 46
Kudos: 99





	A Kiss in Time Saves Nine Cat Lives

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Missnoodles](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Missnoodles/gifts), [Rikkapikasnikka](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rikkapikasnikka/gifts).



“You should be safe here,” Ladybug said, already turning away from Adrien, her eyes tracking Zombiezou’s minions down below them in the square. “Don’t leave this rooftop! I’ll come and get you when I’m done, okay?”

She lifted her yo-yo to return to the fight, but Adrien clutched at her hand. “Ladybug!” he said, and she froze immediately. She turned to him, head tilted, as if to say, ‘yes, Adrien?’

 _Oh,_ Adiren thought, rubbing his thumb over her gloved knuckles. _She’s even more beautiful up close._

Suddenly, touching her suit wasn’t enough. Adrien wanted to touch her bare skin, wanted that more than anything he’d ever desired in his life. Of their own accord, his hands moved up to her face and cupped the sides of her head, the bottoms of his palms gently pressing her cheeks. Strands of her blue-black hair fell over his fingers.

Her eyes widened as she stared up at him. Hesitantly, her hands came up to grip his wrists. “Yes, Adrien?” she actually said, parted lips and flushed cheeks and all. Adrien’s pounding heart rocketed up to his throat.

“I…” he started, and realized that any words he could say, everything he was coming up with in his traitorous thoughts--which were going a million miles a minute--was woefully inadequate. He couldn’t tell her that she’d hung the moon, or tell her of the many nights he’d spent tossing and turning, thinking about her. He couldn’t tell her in that moment how much he loved her; she’d run away from him, screaming.

He licked his lips, and her gaze snapped to them. “Ladybug,” he said, breathing in her coffee-chocolate scent and luxuriating in it. He could only think of one acceptable thing to say, the one thing he always wanted to tell her, in costume and out. “Stay safe.”

Transformed, Adrien was her shield, her protector. He’d die to make sure she stayed safe. He already had, and he’d do that again, in a heartbeat. He wanted her to stop throwing herself in harm’s way, to keep herself out of trouble, to let him save her.

But she never would. Ladybug’s heart and soul sang when she was protecting her city. And she could save herself. Chat was just a pretty face.

Ladybug’s eyes rose to meet his. From the flickering expressions on her face, he knew she was having an internal conversation. Her countenance settled. She’d made a decision.

He was about to ask her what conclusion she’d come to, but then she shoved him against the wall and kissed him. “Eep!” Adrien said against her lips, and jammed his eyes shut, immediately tilting his head to give her better access. Their noses brushed, but Adrien didn’t mind.

Ladybug’s mouth sought his fervently, gliding and moving against his lips, and her hands wrapped around his neck to tug him even closer. He responded eagerly, parting his lips to allow her tongue to tease his. His hands cradled her head; her silky hair spilled over his fingertips.

Heat spread from Adrien’s chest to the roots of his hair. He moaned into her mouth as she licked his gums, making his heart slam against his ribcage. He’d never kissed with tongue before, and though her wet muscle tangling with his felt a little weird, what she was doing with it felt so wonderful, he couldn’t get enough.

Where he was timid, Ladybug was bold. Her hands roamed over his neck and back, pressing him between the shoulder blades so his chest would rub against hers. Her hips bumped up against his. Her tongue pinned his against the roof of his mouth, and he groaned in the back of his throat. Her taste, coffee and chocolate, just like her scent, thrilled him. The coffee made her uniquely human to him.

Kissing her was so _good_. It was everything he’d dreamed of and more; and he never wanted it to end.

But just as he’d thought that, she pulled away. Adrien stared down at her, swallowing his panting breaths. She, too, seemed out of breath and flustered, and Adrien felt inordinately proud of himself for having that effect on her.

Then she smiled at him, and he fell in love all over again. Her hand toyed with his collar for a moment, and he thought she’d kiss him again. He leaned forward to meet her lips, but she merely stepped away, and unhooked her yo-yo from around her slim waist. “Thanks for the motivation, hot stuff,” she said, and winked.

As she threw her yo-yo off the roof, bugging out and rejoining the battle, Adrien slid down the wall and whined.

***

“What the heck is wrong with you?” Ladybug demanded, as she snatched Chat out of the fire for the fourth time that afternoon. _He’s a mess!_ she thought, her levels of alarm as high as her annoyance. _What the heck happened?_

Chat had been in a daze the entire fight, staring dreamily at her and touching his lips. The more he farted around, the more dangerous this fight became. Half the city was under Zombiezou’s control, and Ladybug knew that if her partner didn’t get his head in the game, he was going to be kissed by one of the zombies--and soon. He’d go down like a sack of potatoes, and she’d have to fight him _again_ , and she was not looking forward to that.

Hence the many, many times she’d lassoed her yo-yo cable around his waist and dragged him into the air, making him gasp.

All Ladybug wanted to do was get back to Adrien, so she could possibly kiss him again--she was definitely _not_ thinking about what possessed her to do that, just decided to enjoy the results--but Chat was making this fight take three times as long as it needed to.

Adrien. What on earth had made her call him hot stuff? She knew why she wanted to kiss him--she’d wanted that for _so long_ \--but to actually act on that impulse? The suit made Marinette bolder than she’d ever expected she could be. She liked it.

And the kissing had been so good. So, _so_ good, and Ladybug wanted nothing more than to drag her tongue down Adrien’s throat and count the beats of his pulse in her mouth.

Chat was staring at her again, gaping like a fish. He’d had a permanent blush taking up residence on his face since he’d joined the fight, and she didn’t know what that was about. He was being ridiculous, and she just knew she’d have to save him. Again.

***

By the end of the fight, Ladybug had saved Chat’s furry butt nine times. Nine! He’d been so incredibly distracted, so ridiculously flustered, that she’d had to do all the work. She even had to hold up his hand to Cataclysm the stupid lipstick tube. The only thing she didn’t have to do was say the word to summon his destructive power--though she did have to remind him to do so.

The frustration spiked her blood pressure, giving her a headache. When he walked up to her, arms outstretched to give him a hug, she stalked off and bugged out, leaving him to comfort Madame Bustier.

Ladybug didn’t care. She had someone waiting for her. She zipped across the city as fast as her arms would take her. _I’m coming, Adrien!_

But when she arrived on the rooftop, Adrien wasn’t there. Her heart dropped like a stone into her belly. Her earrings beeped for the second time, but she ignored them.

Tears stung her eyes. She’d thought… She’d hoped that he would be there, so she’d have three glorious minutes of kissing left before her transformation threatened to drop, and she’d have to bug out again. But apparently he didn’t want to wait for her.

Was there something wrong with her? Was she a bad kisser? Ladybug walked behind the wall she’d shoved him against, trailing her gloved fingers on the rough brick. _I shouldn’t have kissed him,_ she thought, dropping down to her butt on the rooftop. She wrapped her arms around her knees. _Adrien didn’t want me, and I forced myself on him. Oh, my gosh! Of course he didn’t wait! I’m a terrible person!_

Ladybug buried her face in her knees and sobbed. She lost herself in her silent cries, wanting nothing more than to just throw her miraculous into the Seine. Her earrings beeped again, and she choked out a whimper.

Then she heard a rubbery thump on the other side of the wall, jolting her back to herself. She peeked around the wall, only to see Chat. “Claws in!” he said, and green transformation light flowed over his body, revealing…

Adrien Agreste.

 _Oh, my gosh!_ Ladybug thought, tears drying on her cheeks. _Chat… is the love of my life?_

She couldn’t believe it. Her partner, the boy she trusted with her life, was the same boy who’d captured her heart by his kindness. The similarities struck her in the face: same blond hair, same build, same recklessness, same protective streak, same gentle, peacemaking soul.

And she’d forced herself on him.

Ladybug wanted to curl up in a ball and weep again.

“Plagg!” Adrien said, bouncing on the balls of his feet. He combed his fingers through his hair, as if he even needed to smooth the strands to look pretty. He looked like he was waiting for something. Or some _one_. “She kissed me!”

His little, black kwami floated up in front of him. “I know, Kid. Cheese?"

“She kissed me!” Adrien said again, cheerfully, and Ladybug gasped. Plagg phased into Adrien’s shirt, and he whirled around. “Who’s there?”

Ladybug stood and peered over the wall. “Adrien?”

“Ladybug,” Adrien said, his eyes wide. “You… You saw?”

“I did,” she said, feeling inordinately guilty for having witnessed something she wasn’t supposed to have seen. She stood, and crossed out from behind the wall, hugging her elbow. Where did her confidence go? Her ego felt bruised and battered. Her earrings chirped again. She ignored them.

“Uh,” Adrien said, and raised a hand. “Hi. How are you?”

“Okay,” Ladybug lied, staring at her feet. “I… I want to apologize. For the kiss.”

Adrien’s jaw dropped. “Oh, no, please don’t,” he said, stepping towards her. She shied away. “I thought it was nice.”

“I didn’t force myself on you?” she said, finding herself brave enough to meet his eyes.

“I mean…” He rubbed the back of his neck, a gesture she’d seen Chat use often, but had never connected it to Adrien until just now. “You kind of did--”

“Oh, my gosh! I’m terrible!”

“--but I really liked the kissing!” Adrien said, wind-milling his arms. “I mean, I had hoped you’d make a move on me as Chat, but since you kissed me out of costume, that’s good, right? That means you like some of me, at least, and you didn’t know I was keeping part of me a secret from you! But now you know, and--and that’s great! That… That is great, right?”

Ladybug didn’t know if that was great or not. She had horrible memories of a white-clad boy with blue sclera calling her name--her real name, Marinette--and telling her that she’d broken his heart. _But… Maybe this time is different._

“Ladybug,” Adrien said, pointing to her ears. “You’re about to drop your transformation. Is… Is that okay with you?”

Ladybug considered that. She figured his knowing her identity was only fair. She knew his, after all. She bit her lip and nodded.

“Are you sure?” Adrien asked, stepping closer. He was right in her space, now. He smelled of soap and the delicious scent of his sweat; she inhaled deeply and felt dizzy.

Her earrings chirped for the last time. Was she sure? This would change everything. Everything.

But she was so tired of secrets. Of keeping the whole of herself from her partner, from her best friend. She was tired of keeping him in the dark. He had a right to know. And whatever changes would come from this, well, they’d deal with them.

She only hoped he didn’t hate her once he found out who she was.

“I’m sure,” Marinette said, tentatively placing her gloved hands on his chest. Adrien reached forward and cupped her cheeks in his hands. He placed a chaste kiss on her lips, which she relished. It might be the last kiss she’d ever get from him, once he learned who the girl was beneath the mask.

“Spots off,” Ladybug said, taking the plunge. The red transformation light flowed over her body, revealing her and Tikki. Marinette felt strangely naked, exposed in front of Adrien. She only had eyes for him.

Despite her revealing herself, he was still in her space, still touching her. Adrien didn’t draw away immediately, like she expected. “Marientte?” he said, his voice breathy--and awed. “Marinette Dupain-Cheng?”

“Hi,” she said, heat rising in her cheeks and curling in her belly with the way he was staring at her. “A-Are you angry?”

“Angry?” Adrien said, as if he’d never heard the word before. He shook his head rapidly, breaking into a beaming grin. “No! I’m not. I’m happy!”

Shock made her lips part. Shock, and the desire to kiss him again. “Happy?”

“Yeah!” Adrien said, rubbing her cheeks with his thumbs. “How could I not be happy? My two favorite people are one person! I don’t have to be split down the middle loving you anymore!”

Marinette blinked at him. “You… You love me?”

“Of course!” Adrien said, his happiness infectious. Marinette caught herself swooning in his hold. His hands were so warm on her bare skin. “You’re our everyday Ladybug. I didn’t realize how apt that nickname was! And you’re my partner, Marinette. My best friend.”

Marinette’s smile grew larger and larger, until her cheeks hurt. “I love you, too,” she said, and Adrien looked like he was about to float off to the stars. “Can we kiss again?”

“Yes, _please._ ”

**Author's Note:**

> Artwork by the inestimable MissNoodles, a great author and artist in her own right. Go check out her work [here](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Missnoodles/pseuds/Missnoodles), and her Tumblr [here](https://ladyofthenoodle.tumblr.com/post/620683152972791808/just-some-ladrien-and-then-cass-wrote-fic-to-go)! 
> 
> This artwork was what inspired the fic, so I'm so happy to have permission to include it. Thank you, Noodles! 
> 
> \---
> 
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> 
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